The David and Lucile Packard Foundation announced today the promotion of Linda Baker to Director of Organizational Effectiveness.
Baker joined the Packard Foundation’s Organizational Effectiveness team in 2013 as a program officer, where she supported grantees in strengthening their leadership, organizations, and networks to be more effective and better able to achieve their missions. Prior to her time on the Organizational Effectiveness team, Baker served as a program officer in the Local Grantmaking program and the Children, Families, and Communities program, and started her time at the Foundation in 1994 as a research analyst and associate editor in the Center for the Future of Children.
While on the Local Grantmaking team Baker developed and launched a successful initiative focused on building the capacity of youth-serving organizations in East Salinas. As a member of the Children, Families, and Communities program, she focused on building and supporting multi-player coalitions in California counties that worked together to bring health insurance to all children.
“Linda’s direct program experience with grantees, her work on capacity building, and her connections in the nonprofit and philanthropic sector make her a valuable leader for the OE team” said Chris DeCardy, Vice President and Director of Programs. “The Foundation has a long and deeply held commitment to supporting capacity building efforts for our grantees, and we look forward to continuing our grantmaking efforts under Linda’s leadership.”
Prior to her time at the Foundation, Baker worked for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation in Princeton, New Jersey in the research and evaluation department. Baker holds a master’s degree in public health from Rutgers and the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey.
